The UK’S Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has been commissioned to carry out an independent review of current practices in fluvial flood defence. The report’s conclusions will be instrumental in determining procurement strategies which are currently worth US$0.29B per year.

Over 10% of the population in England and Wales are susceptible to inland flooding which has caused 20 deaths in recent years. Without further investment in engineering solutions, property damage is expected to exceed US$2.32B per year.

The report will review current practices to determine if they are technically and environmentally appropriate, and recommend solutions to alleviate the loss of human life and damage to property. (See the article on the UK’s largest flood relief scheme on pp26-30 of this issue).